AEA To Launch High-Tech Education Information Data Bank; New Web-based Service To Provide Up-To-Date Data on Company Education Efforts.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 23, 2000

The American Electronics Association (AEA) announced today that it will establish the AEA National Clearinghouse for High-Technology Education Initiatives to capture in one place the data on the educational projects sponsored by high-tech companies throughout the country and the impact of those programs on improving student performance and worker skills.

In addition, the Clearinghouse will provide data on what American high-tech companies are spending on education from kindergarten through graduate school.

William T. Archey, AEA President and CEO, said: "Anecdotal information indicates that the U.S. high-technology industry is disproportionately doing more in the field of education reform from K-grad school than any other industry. But the data to demonstrate that is not being systematically collected and disseminated. Furthermore, many of these programs are having a very salutary affect on student and teacher performance but will not be replicated because teachers, administrators, local governments and indeed other companies are not aware of these programs. Also, there has been no single source of data on the financial investments American technology firms are making in seeking to improve our schools and universities and the skills of the American workforce."

Archey added: "The American Electronics Association receives hundreds of inquiries a year from various interested parties asking what programs have been sponsored and implemented by high-tech companies and how can those programs be adopted. With the Clearinghouse we will be able to answer those queries with specific information and communities and school systems will be able to replicate sound, tested programs in locales throughout the United States. While that is our primary focus, we will also be able to answer queries from public policy officials who are unaware of the large investments being made by high-tech companies in education and education reform and will convincingly demonstrate the commitment of the high-tech industry to improving American education and the American workforce."

AEA is the logical repository for this type of information. It is a national high-tech trade association with 17 regional offices throughout the nation. In each of these offices there is an executive committee comprised of high-tech executives who are already formally or informally involved in educational reform projects. In addition, the Clearinghouse is a natural sequel to the American Electronics Association nationally recognized research and statistics program which has published a number of publications under the rubric CyberSeries and which have provided ground breaking, widely used data on the growth of the high-tech industry in the United States.

Archey further stated: "We have just begun the fund-raising effort to establish the Clearinghouse. We have concluded that, to do it right, will require approximately $500,000 in funding in each of the first two years. To date, Intel and Texas Instruments have each provided $25,000 for each of the first two years of the Clearinghouse. We expect to approach a spectrum of high tech companies -- large, medium and small -- to support this important effort."

For more information on AEA's National Clearinghouse for High-Technology Education Initiatives, contact John Hatch at [e-mail] or Marc Brailov at [e-mail]. The American Electronics Association is the nation's largest high-tech trade group, representing almost 3,000 U.S.-based technology companies. Membership spans the industry product and service spectrum, from semiconductors and software to computers, Internet and telecommunications systems and services. With 18 regional U.S. councils and offices in Brussels, Tokyo and Beijing, AEA offers a unique global policy grassroots capability and a wide portfolio of valuable business services and products for the high-tech industry. For 56 years, AEA has been the accepted voice of the U.S. technology community.

           AEA NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR HIGH-TECHNOLOGY
                         EDUCATION INITIATIVES

                              FACT SHEET
What:

     -- The Clearinghouse will capture in one place both the data on
     the educational projects sponsored by high-tech companies
     throughout the country and on the ongoing assessments of the
     impact of those programs on improving student performance and
     worker skills.

     -- The Clearinghouse will also provide the data on what American
     high-tech companies are spending on education from kindergarten
     through graduate school.

How:

     -- The Clearinghouse will be Web-based and will build on AEA's
     new state-of-the-art Web site enabling both input and display of
     the data at a single location.

     -- AEA expects to publish an annual compendium of high-tech
     expenditures and a listing of the programs directly sponsored by
     technology companies and categorized by type of program, where
     implemented, and the explicit results and tangible outcomes, if
     available, on the educational performance of students and
     teachers.

     -- The Clearinghouse will seek to capture as much data on
     internal programs designed to improve the basic and advanced
     skills of the high-tech workforce.

     -- AEA will sponsor a major education summit every other year
     between high-tech industry executives and leading public policy
     officials to assess education policies and issues and review a
     comprehensive analysis of current educational programs and
     policies gathered by the Clearinghouse.

Why:

     -- Anecdotal information indicates that the U.S. high-technology
     industry is disproportionately doing more in the field of
     education reform from K-grad school than any other industry --
     but the data to demonstrate such efforts and that assessing their
     impact are not being systematically collected and disseminated.

     -- The Clearinghouse will be able to answer critical queries
     about industry-sponsored educational programs with specific,
     comprehensive information. Communities and school systems will
     then have the opportunity to replicate sound, tested programs in
     locales throughout the U.S.

     -- The Clearinghouse will also be able to furnish data to public
     policy officials about the significant educational investments
     being made by high-tech companies nationwide and, through that
     data, help those officials better assess private sector
     educational activity.